Colbert slams CBS over ‘crap’ statement denying it pulled James Talarico interview

Published February 18, 2026 10:26am ET



Late-night host Stephen Colbert criticized CBS on Tuesday over what he called a “crap” corporate statement regarding an interview with Democratic Texas state Rep. James Talarico.

CBS released a statement that said it did not bar Colbert from airing the interview with Talarico, but rather provided legal advice that doing so could trigger the Federal Communications Commission‘s equal time rule and “presented options for how the equal time for other candidates could be fulfilled.”

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